Associations Between Point-of-Use Water Treatment Interventions and Cognitive Scores among Children 5 Years of Age and Younger in Limpopo, South Africa.

.Enteric infections early in life have been associated with poor linear growth among children in low-resource settings. Point-of-use water treatment technologies provide effective and low-cost solutions to reduce exposure to enteropathogens from drinking water, but it is unknown whether the use of these technologies translates to improvements in child growth. We conducted a community-based randomized controlled trial of two water treatment technologies to estimate their effects on child growth in Limpopo, South Africa. We randomized 404 households with a child younger than 3 years to receive a silver-impregnated ceramic water filter, a silver-impregnated ceramic tablet, a safe-storage water container alone, or no intervention, and these households were followed up quarterly for 2 years. We estimated the effects of the interventions on linear and ponderal growth, enteric infections assessed by quantitative molecular diagnostics, and diarrhea prevalence. The silver-impregnated ceramic water filters and tablets consistently achieved approximately 1.2 and 3 log reductions, respectively, in total coliform bacteria in drinking water samples. However, the filters and tablets were not associated with differences in height (height-for-age z-score differences compared with no intervention: 0.06, 95% CI: −0.29, 0.40, and 0.00, 95% CI: −0.35, 0.35, respectively). There were also no effects of the interventions on weight, diarrhea prevalence, or enteric infections. Despite their effectiveness in treating drinking water, the use of the silver-impregnated ceramic water filters and tablets did not reduce enteric infections or improve child growth. More transformative water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions that better prevent enteric infections are likely needed to improve long-term child growth outcomes.

This study compared two popular measures of cognitive ability for preschool children. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence — Third Edition (WPPSI-III) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale — Fifth Edition (SB5) were administered in a counterbalanced order to 36 typically developing 4-year-old children. There were significant correlations among all WPPSI-III and SB5 composite scores but a number of children had notable differences between their scores on the two measures. Children tended to prefer the SB5 over the WPPSI-III. The implications for practitioners who assess preschool-aged children are discussed.

Effect of iodine supplementation in pregnant women on child neurodevelopment: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Part I: The Origins of Intellectual Assessment. Wasserman, A History of Intelligence Assessment: The Unfinished Tapestry. Kamphaus, Winsor, Rowe, Kim, A History of Intelligence Test Interpretation. Part II: Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives. Horn, Blankson, Foundations for Better Understanding of Cognitive Abilities. Schneider, McGrew, The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Model of Intelligence. Chen, Gardner, Assessment of Intellectual Profile: A Perspective from Multiple-Intelligences Theory. Sternberg, The Triarchic Theory of Successful Intelligence. Naglieri, Das, Goldstein, Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS): A Cognitive Processing-based Theory of Intelligence. Part III: Contemporary Intelligence, Cognitive, and Neuropsychological Batteries (and Associated Achievement Tests). Drozdick, Wahlstrom, Zhu, Weiss, The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) and the Wechsler Memory Scale - Fourth Edition (WMS-IV). Wahlstrom, Breaux, Zhu, Weiss, The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence - Third Edition (WPPSI-III), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition (WIAT-III). Roid, Pomplun, The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5). Singer, Lichtenberger, J.C. Kaufman, A.S. Kaufman, N.L. Kaufman, The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (KABC-II) and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement-Second Edition (KTEA-II). Schrank, Wendling, The Woodcock-Johnson III Normative Update (WJ III NU): Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Tests of Achievement. Elliott, The Differential Ability Scales - Second Edition (DAS-II). McCallum, Bracken, The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT): A Multidimensional Nonverbal Alternative for Cognitive Assessment. Naglieri, Otero, The Cognitive Assessment System (CAS): From Theory to Practice. Reynolds, Kamphaus, Raines, The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) and the Reynolds Intellectual Screening Test (RIST). Matthews, Riccio, Davis, The NEPSY-II. Naglieri, Otero, The Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability (WNV): Assessment of Diverse Populations. Part IV: Contemporary Interpretive Approaches and Their Relevance for Intervention. Flanagan, Alfonson, Ortiz, The Cross-Battery Assessment (XBA) Approach: An Overview, Historical Perspective, and Current Directions. Fiorello, Hale, Wycoff, Cognitive Hypothesis Testing (CHT): Linking Test Results to the Real World. Floyd, Kranzler, Processing Approaches to Interpreting Information from Cognitive Ability Tests: A Critical Review. Ortiz, Ochoa, Dynda, Testing with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations: Moving Beyond the Verbal-performance Dichotomy into Evidence-Based Practice. Mather, Wendling, Linking Cognitive Abilities to Academic Interventions for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). Part V: Assessment of Intelligence and Cognitive Functioning in Different Populations. Ford, Kozey, Negreiros, Cognitive Assessment in Early Childhood: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives. McIntosh, Dixon, Pierson, Use of Intelligence Tests in the Identification of Giftedness. Flanagan, Alfonso, Mascolo, Sotelo-Dynega, Use of Ability Tests in the Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) within the Context of an Operational Definition. Klinger, O'Kelley, Mussey, Goldstein, DeVries, Assessment of Intellectual Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Hale, Yim, Schneider, Wilcox, Henzel, Dixon, Cognitive and Neuropsychological Assessment of ADHD: Redefining a Disruptive Behavior Disorder. Decker, Englund, Roberts, Intellectual and Neuropsychological Assessment of Individuals with Sensory and Physical Disabilities and Traumatic Brain Injury. Armstrong, Hangauer, Nadeau, Use of Intelligence Tests in the Identification of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Part VI: Contemporary and Emerging Issues in Intellectual Assessment. Braden, Niebling, Using Joint Test Standards to Evaluate the Validity Evidence for Intelligence Tests. Keith, Reynolds, Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to Aid in Understanding the Constructs Measured by Intelligence Tests. Miller, Maricle, The Emergence of Neuropsychological Constructs into Tests of Intelligence and Cognitive Abilities. Maricle, Avirett, The Role of Cognitive and Intelligence Tests in the Assessment of Executive Functions. Brown-Chidsey, Andren, Intelligence Tests in the Context of Emerging Assessment Practices: Problem-solving Applications. McCloskey, Whitaker, Murphy, Rogers, Intellectual, Cognitive, and Neuropsychological Assessment in Three-tier Service Delivery Practices in Schools. Carroll, Appendix: The Three-Stratum Theory of Cognitive Abilities.

This study assessed the association between timing and course of maternal depression from pregnancy onwards and children's cognitive development at ages 5 to 6. Potential interaction effects with child sex and family socioeconomic status were explored. One thousand thirty-nine mother-child pairs from the French EDEN mother-child birth cohort were followed from 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy onwards. Based on Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores assessed at six timepoints, longitudinal maternal depressive symptom trajectories were calculated with a group-based semiparametric method. Children's cognitive function was assessed at ages 5 to 6 by trained interviewers with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Third Edition (WPPSI-III), resulting in three composite scores: Verbal IQ (VIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ), and Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ). Five trajectories of maternal symptoms of depression could be distinguished: no symptoms, persistent intermediate-level depressive symptoms, persistent high depressive symptoms, high symptoms in pregnancy only, and high symptoms in the child's preschool period only. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that, compared to children of mothers who were never depressed, children of mothers with persistent high levels of depressive symptoms had reduced VIQ, PIQ, and FSIQ scores. This association was moderated by the child's sex, boys appearing especially vulnerable in case of persistent maternal depression. Chronicity of maternal depression predicts children's cognitive development at school entry age, particularly in boys. As maternal mental health is an early modifiable influence on child development, addressing the treatment needs of depressed mothers may help reduce the associated burden on the next generation.

Cystinosis is a recessive genetic metabolic disorder in which the amino acid cystine accumulates in various organs of the body. Previous studies have demonstrated visuospatial dysfunction in children and adults with this disorder. It is not known whether this is a result of the genetic alteration or an accumulation of cystine in the brain over time. This study investigated patterns of performance in 20 young children with cystinosis (4-7 years) and 20 matched controls on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition (WPPSI-III). The children with cystinosis had a mean Full Scale IQ at the low end of the average range. Their overall cognitive functioning was comprised of average verbal abilities, low average non-verbal abilities, and low average processing speed. Multivariate analyses indicated that the cystinosis and control groups were not significantly different on the verbal subtests. In contrast, the cystinosis group performed significantly more poorly than controls on the performance and processing speed subtests. Although overall intellectual function was in the normal range, young children with cystinosis demonstrated a discrepancy such that non-verbal abilities were poorer relative to verbal abilities. This pattern resembles the cognitive profile found previously in older individuals with cystinosis and indicates that the specific cognitive profile emerges early in development. These findings suggest that the cognitive dysfunction in cystinosis is not merely the result of cystine accumulation over time but may be related to differences in brain development as a consequence of alterations or deletions of the cystinosin gene.

This study aimed to determine the cognitive profile of preschool children undergoing surgery to correct non-syndromic craniosynostosis, compare them with typically developing children, and analyze possible cognitive deficits in the most prevalent subtypes: sagittal and unicoronal. Thirty-one children aged 3 years to 5 years and 11 months with non-syndromic craniosynostosis (11 sagittal, 9 unicoronal, 4 metopic, 3 lambdoid, 4 multisutural) who underwent surgery were compared with thirty-one typically developing children. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition (WPPSI-III) was used to assess cognitive function. Children with non-syndromic craniosynostosis scored below the typically developing children in the Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ) and Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FISQ). When specific subtypes were compared, children with sagittal synostosis scored similarly to the typically developing children; in contrast, children with unicoronal synostosis had lower performance in the Processing Speed Quotient and FISQ. The proportion of participants scoring below one standard deviation on the VIQ, General Language Composite, and FISQ was greater in the non-syndromic craniosynostosis group. This study supports the finding that children with non-syndromic craniosynostosis, particularly those with unicoronal synostosis, have more cognitive difficulties than those with normal development. Assessing cognition at preschool age in children with non-syndromic craniosynostosis is important in order to detect difficulties before they become more apparent at school age.

An adapted version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence—Third Edition (WPPSI-III) was administered to assess cognitive functioning among 1,253 5-year-old children from the Malnutrition and Enteric Disease (MAL-ED) study—an international, multisite study investigating multiple aspects of child development. In this study, the factor structure and invariance of the WPPSI-III were examined across seven international research sites located in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, and Tanzania. Using a multiple indicator multiple cause (MIMIC) modeling approach, the findings supported the validity of a fluid reasoning dimension (comprised of block design, matrix reasoning, and picture completion subscales) across each of the seven sites, although the scores were noninvariant. Accordingly, these scores are recommended for research purposes and understanding relationships between variables but not for mean comparisons or clinical purposes.

In laboratory animals, exposure to most general anaesthetics leads to neurotoxicity manifested by neuronal cell death and abnormal behaviour and cognition. Some large human cohort studies have shown an association between general anaesthesia at a young age and subsequent neurodevelopmental deficits, but these studies are prone to bias. Others have found no evidence for an association. We aimed to establish whether general anaesthesia in early infancy affects neurodevelopmental outcomes. In this international, assessor-masked, equivalence, randomised, controlled trial conducted at 28 hospitals in Australia, Italy, the USA, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, we recruited infants of less than 60 weeks' postmenstrual age who were born at more than 26 weeks' gestation and were undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy, without previous exposure to general anaesthesia or risk factors for neurological injury. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by use of a web-based randomisation service to receive either awake-regional anaesthetic or sevoflurane-based general anaesthetic. Anaesthetists were aware of group allocation, but individuals administering the neurodevelopmental assessments were not. Parents were informed of their infants group allocation upon request, but were told to mask this information from assessors. The primary outcome measure was full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition (WPPSI-III), at 5 years of age. The primary analysis was done on a per-protocol basis, adjusted for gestational age at birth and country, with multiple imputation used to account for missing data. An intention-to-treat analysis was also done. A difference in means of 5 points was predefined as the clinical equivalence margin. This completed trial is registered with ANZCTR, number ACTRN12606000441516, and ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00756600. Between Feb 9, 2007, and Jan 31, 2013, 4023 infants were screened and 722 were randomly allocated: 363 (50%) to the awake-regional anaesthesia group and 359 (50%) to the general anaesthesia group. There were 74 protocol violations in the awake-regional anaesthesia group and two in the general anaesthesia group. Primary outcome data for the per-protocol analysis were obtained from 205 children in the awake-regional anaesthesia group and 242 in the general anaesthesia group. The median duration of general anaesthesia was 54 min (IQR 41-70). The mean FSIQ score was 99·08 (SD 18·35) in the awake-regional anaesthesia group and 98·97 (19·66) in the general anaesthesia group, with a difference in means (awake-regional anaesthesia minus general anaesthesia) of 0·23 (95% CI -2·59 to 3·06), providing strong evidence of equivalence. The results of the intention-to-treat analysis were similar to those of the per-protocol analysis. Slightly less than 1 h of general anaesthesia in early infancy does not alter neurodevelopmental outcome at age 5 years compared with awake-regional anaesthesia in a predominantly male study population. US National Institutes of Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Thrasher Research Fund, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Health Technologies Assessment-National Institute for Health Research (UK), Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Anesthesiologists Society, Pfizer Canada, Italian Ministry of Health, Fonds NutsOhra, UK Clinical Research Network, Perth Children's Hospital Foundation, the Stan Perron Charitable Trust, and the Callahan Estate.

Executive functions (EFs) and intelligence were examined concurrently and longitudinally in 126 preschool children. EF was assessed using the Flexible Item Selection Task (FIST) and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). Children’s intelligence was assessed using the Verbal and Performance subtests from Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence–Third Edition (WPPSI-III). Results showed a significant association between verbal and nonverbal intelligence with both the FIST and the BRIEF-P. The BRIEF-P working memory scale showed the strongest relation with EF and intelligence at both time points. Results are discussed in terms of differential association between intelligence and components of EF.

Objectives. To study cognitive test profiles with a focus on processing speed in a representative group of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and relate processing speed to adaptive functioning. Methods. Cognitive assessments were performed in 190 3.6–6.6-year-old children (164 boys and 26 girls) with ASD, using either Griffiths' developmental scales (n = 77) or the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third Edition (WPPSI-III) (n = 113). Cognitive data were related to adaptive functioning as measured by Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). Results. Cognitive profiles were characterized by low verbal skills. Low processing speed quotients (PSQs) were found in 66 (78%) of the 85 children who were able to participate in the processing speed subtests. Except for Socialization, all VABS domains (Communication, Motor Skills, Daily Living Skills, and Adaptive Behavior Composite scores) correlated significantly with PSQ. Multiple regression analysis showed that PSQ predicted 38%, 35%, 34%, and 37% of the variance for Communication, Daily Living Skills, Motor Skills, and total Adaptive Composite scores, respectively. Conclusion. Preschool children with ASD had uneven cognitive profiles with low verbal skills, and, relatively, even lower PSQs. Except for Socialization, adaptive functioning was predicted to a considerable degree by PSQ.

Describe the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS). Prospective cohort study. Neurodevelopmental follow-up clinic within a hospital. Children with PRS (n = 45) who had been in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) were classified by a geneticist into 3 subgroups of isolated PRS (n = 20), PRS-plus additional medical features (n = 8), and syndromic PRS (n = 17) based on medical record review and genetic testing. Children with PRS completed IQ testing at 5 or 8 years of age with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Third Edition (WPPSI-III) or Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) or Fifth Edition (WISC-V). IQ scores were more than 1 to 2 standard deviations below the mean for 36% of the overall sample, which was significantly greater compared to test norms (binomial test P = .001). There was a significant association between PRS subtype and IQ (Fisher's exact P = .026). While only 20% of children with isolated PRS were within 1 standard deviation below average and 35% of children with syndromic PRS were below 1 to 2 standard deviations, 75% of PRS-plus children scored lower than 1 to 2 standard deviations below the mean. PRS subgroups can help identify children at risk for cognitive delay. The majority of children with PRS-plus had low intellectual functioning, in contrast to the third of children with syndromic PRS who had low IQ and the majority of children with isolated PRS who had average or higher IQ.

Unsupervised machine learning techniques have become increasingly popular for studying associations between gestational exposure mixtures and human health. Latent profile analysis is one method that has not been fully explored. We estimated associations between gestational chemical mixtures and child neurodevelopment using latent profile analysis. Using data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) research platform, a longitudinal cohort of pregnant Canadian women and their children, we generated latent profiles from 27 gestational exposure biomarkers. We then examined the associations between these profiles and child Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, and Full-Scale IQ, measured with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Third Edition (WPPSI-III). We validated our findings using k-means clustering. Latent profile analysis detected five latent profiles of exposure: a reference profile containing 61% of the study participants, a high monoethyl phthalate (MEP) profile with moderately low persistent organic pollutants (POPs) containing 26%, a high POP profile containing 6%, a low POP profile containing 4%, and a smoking chemicals profile containing 3%. We observed negative associations between both the smoking chemicals and high MEP profiles and all IQ scores and between the high POP profile and Full-Scale and Verbal IQ scores. We also found a positive association between the low POP profile and Full-Scale and Performance IQ scores. All associations had wide 95% confidence intervals. Latent profile analysis is a promising technique for identifying patterns of chemical exposure and is worthy of further study for its use in examining complicated exposure mixtures.

ABSTRACTThere is no current estimation about the impact of prematurity on a child’s development in Lebanon.This study describes the developmental profile of 82 former preterm-born children aged between 2 and 8 years. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition (WPPSI-III) and Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL for ages 1½–5 [CBCL/1½–5] or CBCL for ages 6–18 [CBCL/6–18]) results were analysed in a prospective cross-sectional study to evaluate the type and extent of cognitive and behavioural impairments amongst these children. Preterm-born children yielded IQ scores approximately 0.5–1 standard deviation below normative parameters. Significant negative associations were found between WPPSI-III composite scores and specific CBCL scales that suggest a relationship between lower intellectual functioning and more reported behavioural problems. While these findings are limited in generalizability due to the limited sample size, they highlight the need for further assessment of cognitive and behavioural impairments among Lebanese preterm-born children.

Preterm-born children are at higher risk for impaired linguistic abilities than are their term-born peers. The aim of the current study was to determine early predictors for delayed linguistic skills in very preterm-born preschool children. Between January 2005 and November 2010 all very preterm infants born at < 32 weeks gestation in Tyrol were prospectively enrolled (n = 421); 248 of them had a detailed examination at the age of five years including cognitive assessment (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, third edition (WPPSI-III) or Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Tests (SON-R)) as well as a screening test for language skills (Bielefelder screening for early diagnosis of reading problems and weak spelling (BISC)). The association between pre-and postnatal factors and poor performance on the BISC assessment was analyzed by means of logistic regression analysis. Of the 248 children 79 (31.8%) showed delayed literacy precursor skills. Male sex, gestational age, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) grades 3-4 and low maternal education were predictive for delayed linguistic skills at 5 years of age in the multivariate analysis. This study identified predictors for delayed literacy precursor skills. These data support the finding that in very preterm infants pre-and perinatal as well as sociodemographic factors account for linguistic skills in the preschool period.